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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28260522">Imposter Syndrome</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slynx/pseuds/Slynx'>Slynx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Among Us (Video Game), Overwatch (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gratuitous Murder, M/M, Mating, Mentioned Oviposition, Murder Mystery (but not really a mystery), Space Octopus (Aliens), Tentacle Sex, The Skeld (Among Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:08:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28260522</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slynx/pseuds/Slynx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a desperate attempt to fend of the ship-dwellers' invasion of their territory, Jack finds himself aboard one of their vessels and trapped in a game of cat-and-mouse he can barely comprehend. However, an unexpected ally appears in the midst of the crewmates, challenging all of Jack's views on what is truly possible.</p>
<p>...Oh, and Red sus.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>71</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Imposter Syndrome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the Reaper76 Discord-! Thank you to all of my amazing fellow creators who have kept me going these long months of bad mental health. I appreciate you so much. Happy Holidays!</p>
<p>Also, I absolutely promised you all an Among Us crossover- and I wasn't going to leave y'all hanging. XD</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Electricity was such a fickle element. Invisible, calculated, deadly…and yet oh so powerful. Just when it was thought to be under control, electricity always finds a way to subvert expectations, frying circuits and cutting out completely at the most random of points.</p>
<p>But to them, electricity was life. It had always <em>been</em> life, even from the earliest of memories. His kind was unique, travellers along long-charted paths in space known only to them, electrical currents both lining the way from galaxy to galaxy and providing subsistence along the way. They had been taught from birth to follow the currents, the great mother sending them all on their way with tentacles spread wide before letting herself die, as they all would someday, in a burst of light and color and energy that had kept them sustained for weeks on end. </p>
<p>Life should have been easy. Follow the currents, find a mate someday, and fold back into the ever-expanding energy of space. That was…until THEY arrived.</p>
<p>He had not been in the first group of his kind that had reached the end of a current. Usually, they simply felt the pulse of another and linked back into another pathway…but that first group had found no such luck. They had drifted aimlessly in space, slowly starving to death, their husk-like shells found later by those that followed, unfortunately, behind.</p>
<p>Several ages passed and somehow, he had been lucky enough to not come across the dead ends. He had, however, heard of their cause. Another species, venturing across the plains in metallic vehicles, were altering the currents in their travels. Once traditional routes were sent askew, the currents drained dry as they were harvested by the intruders.</p>
<p>Some of his kind tried to reason with them. Those that did ended up tacked down to boards in laboratories, examined and tested and poked and prodded until they inevitably died, the intruders not understanding their needs well enough to provide appropriate sustenance. Their species dwindled, the shiny metal ships moving further and further into their territory and exploiting that which had been their lifeforce for so long.</p>
<p>They could no longer afford to stay in the shadows. He refused to watch as more of his people died due to ignorant cruelty and greed. It did not matter what it cost, whether it be a limb or his life. If he succeeded, it would be worth more than any one life. </p>
<p>From above, he watched, arms stretched wide as he floated in the remnants of a current, energy fizzling along every nerve. The silver shell approached at breakneck speed, knocking anything and everything out of its way with blasts of energy, disintegrating an asteroid to space particulate with a single flash of light. Closer and closer it sped, the lone traveler waiting and watching. Hold. Hold. Hold….</p>
<p>NOW.</p>
<p>Limbs folding inward, he dropped, propelled forward by what energy he'd managed to absorb. Panic attempted to shove its way below his skin, fear that he'd perhaps misjudged the leap as the ship rocketed past, too fast! Too fast-</p>
<p>-but one arm latched on, two more following, and soon he found himself holding on to the outer metal shell for dear life. Suction could only do so much against that heat from the back side of the craft, the traveler cringing back away from the crackling whips of flame-like material. Plasma perhaps? No matter- he could not stay out here. Sucker tip by sucker tip, arms edged him closer to what he knew to be an entryway, the strange silver protuberance oddly shaped but, he knew from experience, movable. Two arms detached from the metal and yanked, spinning and spinning the silver wheel (?) until finally, FINALLY it loosened and-</p>
<p>The moment the hatch shot up and open, space itself intervened, the void shoving the traveler inside. Angry sounds blared around him, the hatch near-ripping itself to bits from the ship's speed, his usual environment a blurry mess past creaking metal as he attempted to gather himself from the metal-plated surface. Smooth and almost slippery, it resisted his movements, though the boxes nearby were much more agreeable. He stole away inside one, easily pushing himself into a crack in the side and exploring the contents within. Odd items, foreign items…and…a suit?</p>
<p>Ah. The suit. He had heard tell of this. The ship dwellers wore suits of different colors to distinguish themselves from each other, each apparently depending on the suits for survival. This suit appeared to be an extra for a dweller not yet among them. That, truly, suited him just fine.</p>
<p>His extra limbs made fitting in the material tricky. Certainly, doing so IN the box did not bode well for him either. Thudding boots sounded nearby, the traveler panicking and jumping out of the crate with suit in tow. Where- where- where- VENT!</p>
<p>With a shove upward, he disappeared inside the fabled metallic grates. The stories of these areas had travelled wide among his people, granting them safety and security when needing to escape. The voices above disappeared, leaving him to finally attempt fitting inside the suit. Just…a little…more….</p>
<p>…Good enough. He'd practiced his dweller-speak constantly since learning what few words he could pick up. Moving would be difficult, but imitating others came naturally to him. If he could just see how they- why, there was one now. </p>
<p>A black-suited figure came into view, walking jerkily down the hall as if halfway to running. Two of the legs pressed against the ground, the other two hanging at sides, the big, bulbous bit in the air. Ah. That would grant him great height and vision, but that motion was…interesting. A bit of a sway from side to side…yes. All right. Another figure came into view, this one passing black to press at buttons, a screen appearing that showed…something being plucked out of the air and sent away in a gust of air as white-gloved hands motioned. What? How strange.</p>
<p>The mission. He had to focus on the mission. The ship held energy, but it would only be safely accessible once its occupants were gone. All he needed to do was take down each ship-dweller one by one, clear the ship, and bring the ship back for his people to feed and, perhaps, find a way to stop these intruders once and for all.</p>
<p>Their species had not been built for war. But they were marvelous at adapting to their environment, a trait that had surely served them well. The blue suit slithered up out of the vent, the heavy grate shoved upwards as he straightened and found himself staring at the white-suited back. Now or never. Now or never! …No, no it was too soon. Back to the vents-</p>
<p>Before he could move, the suit turned towards him. It stared at him, seemingly confused. He couldn't do this. He couldn't-</p>
<p>
  <em>-the screams of his people as recorded by those who had made it back, metal piercing flesh as their ships ruined more of their only life sustenance by the day-</em>
</p>
<p>The top half of the suit bent back, an arm darting out and into the white suit's visor like one of the knives from the dreaded laboratory they had massacred his people in. The noise was short, though pained, and he quickly pulled what energy he could from the form before it deflated, leaving only the bottom half with a single white bone protruding from the dead flesh. </p>
<p>It was dead. He'd killed it. Guilt ached down every limb, his body squirming within the suit in sadness. He- he- </p>
<p>Footsteps thundered. Blue had only a moment to dart backwards and around a corner to the vent he'd found earlier, metal grinding as he sank inside, shaking. Just had to do that a few more times and he'd be done with it. Just a few more and he could help his people. Just a few more-</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>Energy swirled around him, blue suit flailing. What?! He had never heard of this- where was he-</p>
<p>What?</p>
<p>The traveler found himself standing around a table, around which <em>all of the ship-dwellers</em> appeared to have been summoned. Oh no. Oh no no no-</p>
<p>"Where body?" Red commanded, top two limbs crossing.</p>
<p>"White in Oxygen." Green garbled, moving from foot to foot.</p>
<p>Silence pervaded. Blue suited feet trembled from the unnatural standing position, but he held himself firm. They didn't seem to suspect him yet and their language, so far, wasn't too hard to understand. Had to keep calm. </p>
<p>"Fresh."</p>
<p>The growl sent shivers down his spine of a different kind. The traveler blinked, globe-head turning so he could see the speaker. Oh- it was the black suit? Interesting. </p>
<p>"How you know fresh?" Red hissed.</p>
<p>"Just saw white. Was doing leaves in Oxygen." Black shrugged, arms wide in a way that the traveler couldn't help but find remarkably charming. Odd. He would not have expected such a thing from these ship-dwellers. "Went south to Shields. Was there when body reported."</p>
<p><em>"Hmmmm."</em> All of the space suits leaned inward, Blue following suit after a moment. This must be some sort of thinking method.</p>
<p>Brown moved first, arm raising. The traveler barely kept from flinching-</p>
<p>"Red sus."</p>
<p>"What!" Red sputtered. "Red not sus!"</p>
<p>"Third person?!" Yellow shrieked. "Red SUS!"</p>
<p>Suddenly, the traveler realized that the ship-dwellers had leaned in to <em>look</em> at something upon the table. Before each of them was a screen with selections that showed each suit color, each of the dwellers appearing to press on one of the buttons. Panicking, the traveler pressed a bottom button and hoped for the best just as numbers on the side of the screen ticked down to zero.</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>The screen flipped, tallies showing. Two votes for Red, two votes for green…and the rest below. Blue gave a shudder of relief. He had chosen correctly.</p>
<p>As if jolted into motion, they began to disperse in multiple directions, chattering all the while in voices that faded into the hallways ("Red SUS!") ("YELLOW sus!"). Now, he just needed to find a way to take down more of them-</p>
<p>Who was he kidding? He'd barely pulled off taking down one. How on earth was he going to be able to take down more?</p>
<p>"Hey."</p>
<p>Blue just about jumped out of his suit, legs still trembling as he realized Black was beside him. Uh- uh- uh- </p>
<p>"You were our last out of hibernation. I'm sure this is a bit jarring." Black motioned around. "Hatch busted. We think an imposter might have gotten in. Have you seen anything?"</p>
<p>…Blue stared at the fluid ways Black's arms moved, gesturing from side to side, eyes wide in amazement. Gorgeous. Oh, why was this creature a ship-dweller?</p>
<p>"Hey- your comm busted?" Gloves waved in front of Blue's visor.</p>
<p>Blue winced, anticipating a blow. None came. …Oh. Busted- comm busted? Comm was- communication device. OH. Black wanted him to talk!</p>
<p>…Shit, Black wanted him to talk. </p>
<p>Here went nothing.</p>
<p>"Nnno." Yeah?</p>
<p>Black stared at him. Blue stared back.</p>
<p>…And out of nowhere, Black busted into chuckles. "Oh boy, a newb huh?"</p>
<p>A what?</p>
<p>"What's your name? Or do you just go by Blue like these other dimwits?"</p>
<p>Oh. Name. He'd thought of this. The ship dwellers could not speak their language- it flowed much as their energy did- but certain bits could stand out and be used as dweller-speak. "Zja-ak."</p>
<p>Black's head tilted, visor gleaming in the flickering lights above. "Jack, huh?</p>
<p>Uh- no. Zja-ack. But- he- ugh. Jack grumble-growled in annoyance but finally assented. "J'ack."</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Gabe."</p>
<p>Gabe. Well, that was nicer than calling him a color. "Nice to- meet you." Imitation was a glorious thing.</p>
<p>"Come on. I'll watch your back if you watch mine." Motioning to one of the hallways, Gabe beckoned him on. "I'll show you around."</p>
<p>…Oh, <em>how</em> was he going to kill this dweller? Jack despaired silently, blue suit stifling and just warm enough to make his limbs ache from it. He willed himself forward, following the black suit and hoping he was making the right choice. "OK." That was a sign of acceptance, yes?</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Gabe was more than willing to show him every inch of the ship, stopping from time to time to hunch over panels and poke at screens, Jack following his lead just long enough so that the others wouldn't stare. Vents popped up in multiple rooms, tempting him but never enough for him to lose sight of the black suit. This dweller was much nicer than any he had heard of, the traveler still wary, so wary, that he was falling into a trap like his many brothers and sisters before him, and yet…and yet…</p>
<p>"Hey, watch my back. I need to do this one and it takes a while." Gabe turned away, poking at a screen with multiple flashing squares. Jack nodded and kept watch, feeling rather silly for watching out for himself-</p>
<p>-Wait. This was a perfect opportunity, wasn't it? If he left and came back before Gabe finished-!</p>
<p>Jack watched for a moment, then scurried out to look down the hallway. No one yet…but then, he heard something from the room across the way. A peek in revealed Yellow hunched over a wall of cameras, flicking past each one and absorbed in the screens. Now. Now was his chance.</p>
<p>Arms reached out, grabbing the domed head and twisting sharply. The ship-dweller made not a sound, writhing as it deflated. Jack did not stay to watch, instead moving back towards the hallway- </p>
<p>"Yellow at cameras. Check cameras."</p>
<p><em>NO!</em> Jack near-shrieked, looking around-</p>
<p>VENT.</p>
<p>He dove inside, scuttling back towards where Gabe had been, and popped out just before the black-suited form turned around. Oh, thank the stars.</p>
<p>"You watched the vent too? Great. Hey, thanks Jack. Now, we just need to-"</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>With a tug of energy, they found themselves back at the table with one less dweller. Jack tried to not let the guilt wrack him as much this time, but it still tugged at his insides. </p>
<p>"Where?" Orange looked around at them all, clearly quite upset. "Who?"</p>
<p>"Yellow at cameras." Pink chirped, swaying from side to side. "Found with-"</p>
<p>"Red SUS!" Brown spat. "Yellow sussed Red and-"</p>
<p>"Found Yellow WITH Red." Pink stopped swaying long enough to glare. "Red was behind. Could not have been red."</p>
<p>Brown huffed and fidgeted. "…Red sus."</p>
<p>"Not Red. Locations?"</p>
<p>"Electrical with Orange." Green piped up.</p>
<p>"With Pink on way to Security." Red growled.</p>
<p>Brown looked from visor to visor. "Weapons. That leaves-"</p>
<p>Oh no. Jack found all eyes on him. </p>
<p>"Blue."</p>
<p>This was it. He was dead. He was going to be strung up in a laboratory and cut into and starved and-</p>
<p>"Not Blue."</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>Gabe glared them all back. "Blue with me in Reactor. Crewmate. Together the whole time. Impossible."</p>
<p>…Crewmate? Jack swore he felt himself release a bit of energy into the suit as the votes came up, his limbs trembling too hard to participate. One vote for Brown, one vote for Blue- that was him, wasn't it?-, one vote for Red, the rest at the bottom. The maximum vote ruled, which meant…he was clear. Another one down.</p>
<p>"Who voted me?!" Red shrieked. </p>
<p>Brown shook a limb at him before running down (into storage? yes, that had to be right). "Red SUS!"</p>
<p>"That's rough. First time voted, huh bud?"</p>
<p>Gabe. Jack turned, eternally grateful for his new friend. There was something about him that felt familiar in the best of ways. Gabe had saved him. Gabe had <em>saved</em> him!</p>
<p>
  <em>(would he have saved you if he'd known what you are though?)</em>
</p>
<p>Jack trembled and looked away, giving a nod. "I-" what was the phrase? "Th-thank you. Saved me."</p>
<p>"Hey, you were with me. They shouldn't be jumping on you." </p>
<p>Something heavy settled over his suit, the traveler looking up in astonishment as he realized that a Black-sleeved arm had settled across the top of his…shoulders? Right? Wasn't this a sign of comradery? Hesitantly, Jack reached back and wrapped a limb around Gabe's waist. There wasn't a chance that this ship-dweller (crewmate?) knew how intimate this would be among his own species. Linking arms was for mates-</p>
<p>"We crewmates have to stick together. It's how we'll-"</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>Gabe stiffened, pulling away. What? Jack looked at the table, then back to him as the alarms continued to ring.</p>
<p>"Oxygen. Stay with me." And with that, Gabe took off running, Black boots making quick work as he disappeared into a hallway.</p>
<p>Jack lunged forward, not fast enough to keep up. Had to protect Gabe from that awful noise-! Had to-</p>
<p>The alarm lessened, instead echoing from a different direction. Jack wavered, stopping in his tracks to look back. Should he follow the alarm or-</p>
<p>Pink fabric shoved him out of the way, Jack yelping as his body hit the wall. Pink glared at him. "Too slow."</p>
<p>…Too slow? Eyes narrowed.</p>
<p>
  <em>Crack!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>…They were at the table. How- Jack looked around. He'd just finished the kill, the body deflating at his feet. There was no way someone had seen him.</p>
<p>Unless…</p>
<p>Jack's visor lifted, connecting with Gabe's. Oh no. Oh no no no-</p>
<p>"Where?" Brown looked about the table.</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>"WHERE BODY?!" Green hissed. "I got bottom Oxygen!"</p>
<p>"Red got top Oxygen." Gabe finally responded, still staring at Jack. "Got there in time to see him do it. But…found Pink. In hallway to Cafeteria."</p>
<p>Gabe had seen him do it. Gabe <em>knew</em>.</p>
<p>"But Pink isn't-" Green looked around wildly. "Where is Pink? Where is RED?!"</p>
<p>"RED SUS!" Brown shrieked.</p>
<p>"No, Red DEAD." Orange said quietly, pointing to the screen before them.</p>
<p>…Sure enough, Jack looked down and saw an 'x' next to both Red's and Pink's pictures. That was impossible, wasn't it? He'd only killed Pink- he hadn't-</p>
<p>"Black said saw Red last." Orange pointed across the table and Green's and Brown's visors followed.</p>
<p>What?! Jack's head shot up. What happened if Gabe was voted off?!</p>
<p>"Black sus."</p>
<p>NO.</p>
<p>"BLACK NOT SUS!"</p>
<p>Every visor turned to him. Jack braced his upper limbs on the table, quivering but determined. "Black and- and I found Pink. Together. Left Oxygen. With. Not Black." Had to remember that magic word. What was it- what was it- "Vouch! Vouching for Black." That was it!</p>
<p>Green, Orange, and Brown murmured among themselves. Jack poked down at his screen and went for one last shot in the dark.</p>
<p>"Brown sus."</p>
<p>"WHAT!" Brown turned on him, snarling.</p>
<p>"Called Red sus. Red gone. Called Black sus. Black innocent." Jack stood his ground and selected the little figure on his screen to lock in his vote. "Brown SUS."</p>
<p>The timer hit zero and the tallies flashed up. Five votes. Two for…two for Gabe. One for bottom. </p>
<p>…Two for Brown. </p>
<p>"Brown SUS." Orange hissed, nodding towards Jack.</p>
<p>"You with me in hallway! Jerk!" Brown wailed, bolting in the opposite direction. </p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>"Shit." Gabe sank down to kneel beside the table, hands over his head. "Shit. Shit shit."</p>
<p>Despite his instincts telling him how inappropriate it was, Jack moved to the black-suited side and put his limb over the shoulders as he sank down to kneel beside his friend. "OK. Knew you were-" word- word- dweller- ah! "-crewmate."</p>
<p>"…That's the closest I've come. All this time-" The head bobbed lower, form shaking. "Saved me, Jack. You saved me."</p>
<p>"You saved ME, Xg'abe." Not quite right, but close enough. Right?</p>
<p>A wet laugh came from below him. "Stars, Jack. This is your first time, isn't it."</p>
<p>First time? What was he talking about? Jack blinked. "…Sssorry?"</p>
<p>"Your dweller-speak needs work, <em>/darling</em>." </p>
<p>The affectionate term slid out in a language he knew much easier than the one he'd been fumbling through for the past few hours. Jack froze, then reeled back, landing on the floor in his shock. "WHAT-"</p>
<p>Gabe rose up as if nothing had occurred, head tilted to one side, and beckoned with one hand. "Come with me."</p>
<p>Ship-dwellers couldn't speak in their tongue. Not unless- Jack took a chance. "/You're not one of them, are you/"</p>
<p>Laughter emanated from the suit, muffled but no less joyful. "/Never/"</p>
<p>One of his <em>own</em>! HERE! Already infiltrated?! …There were only three crewmates left. The realization hit Jack like the best jolt of energy he'd felt in years. </p>
<p>
  <em>They could take the ship!</em>
</p>
<p>"/Right behind you/" Jack pushed himself up, wobbling only once before he steadied in the ill-fitting boots.</p>
<p>Black and Blue turned and walked together, trailing towards Electrical…as the lights went out.</p>
<p>Odd, Jack found himself thinking as they made their way through Storage. He could tell that the lights were not working and yet, he could still see as clearly as ever. Perhaps Space had done him one last favor after all, thank the stars.</p>
<p>"/Over here/" Came a whisper from the visible dark, Jack drawn to it like the current. The corner was small, but surely big enough for them both. But why stay here when there was no one-</p>
<p>As if given by the great mother herself, Green and Orange stumbled blindly into Electrical, flicking switches and yelling. Jack felt rather than saw Gabe move, his own form lining up with the other's perfectly.</p>
<p>Orange looked up, blinking. "Wha-"</p>
<p>Jack stabbed them through the visor, a silver flash to his side revealing Gabe's limb stabbing a knife into Green's back. Both fell, deflating-</p>
<p>"Lights still out! Why I always fix lights?!" Brown rounded in- and stopped dead in their tracks as the two half-bodies registered. A few moments passed, Brown looking between Gabe and Jack-</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>All three appeared at the table, Brown visibly seething.</p>
<p>"Two dead- no report?!"</p>
<p>This was it. Jack looked down on the screen. Just the three of them now, no way to- to-</p>
<p>Wait. In a flash, he realized what he'd been missing. Visor glinting, Jack smirked.</p>
<p>"Brown sus."</p>
<p>Beside him, he felt Gabe ripple within his suit in amusement. </p>
<p>Brown stared at them both in disbelief. "No! I- wait!"</p>
<p>"Yeah." Came the rumble to his side, finger poking at the brown picture on the screen. "Brown SUS."</p>
<p>"NO!"</p>
<p>The tallies came up. One for Jack, two for Brown.</p>
<p>
  <strong>BWAAAAAA</strong>
</p>
<p>"/Well that's just too bad/" Gabe snickered as he watched the flailing figure float off into the depths of space. "/It's almost as if I should feel bad/"</p>
<p>"/I know what you mean/" Jack lifted a limb to place it on the window, watching as Brown finally stilled. "/But they killed so many in displacement/" What irony. "/Nice to see them getting a taste of their own medicine/"</p>
<p>"/Speaking of medicine/" the Black visor clunked to the floor, the rest of the suit following. Gabe emerged like royalty, handsome face grinning as his body adjusted, sliding sideways to lean against one of the cockpit chairs, tentacles lazily wrapping themselves around the armrests. "/Take it off, Jack/"</p>
<p>Never in his life had he been so jealous of an inanimate object before. Jack dropped the suit without hesitation, eager to be free of the confines of the alien clothing, and attempted to lean as nonchalantly against the co-pilot chair. It…did not go well, the object turning and sending him to the floor with a yelp. Ugh.</p>
<p>"/You're adorable/" Gabe's voice rasped amusedly from above.</p>
<p>"/Shuddup/" Jack grumbled, finally managing to lift himself up to level with the other. Their twin forms, amorphous but for head and limbs, both rippled with innate electricity. But whereas Jack's outer colors fluctuated between shades of blue and white, Gabe's pulsed with crimson-tinged shadows, blending him near-perfectly into the still-dark ship. Jack couldn't help but stare. "/…You're beautiful/"</p>
<p>"/Stop stealing my lines/" The reply teased back, one of Gabe's glowing red eyes winking at him saucily.</p>
<p>…Perhaps he was turning a bit red himself after all. Jack pulsed in embarrassment at the sudden rush at affection. He'd only just met his fellow traveler, after all. It would be implausible to suggest a courtship so soon. "/What now/"</p>
<p>"/I've been riding this ship for weeks now without them catching on/" It could have been a boast, but Gabe made it sound so matter-of-fact. "/Heard tell of a massive energy base on a nearby planet so was hoping to get there and find a way to path our kind there/"</p>
<p>Energy base? As in some sort of place of power? "/How would we get there/"</p>
<p>"/Ship is on auto-course./" Gabe motioned to the controls beside them. "/We just have to stay on board and/" he paused, lips quirking. "/-find a way to pass a few light years of time/"</p>
<p>An eon on board an auto-course vessel with sustenance and a very attractive member of his own species? It sounded like heaven. Time to perhaps start courtship, see if he was as interested as Jack was-</p>
<p>An arm wrapped around one of his and <em>squeezed</em>. Jack felt a very embarrassing sound leave his mouth at the contact, body shuddering.</p>
<p>"/I don't want to be too forward/" the voice swayed closer and Jack realized that the remaining arms were swaying too, clunky but very traditional invitations to courtship signaling interest. "/But I'm hoping you're not mated to anyone/"</p>
<p>"/Not mated/" The second he realized they were on the same page, Jack raised his own arms, the limbs fluidly rippling in the air as he balanced upright. Usually, this would be done in the current, but with the odd pressure in the ship holding them to the floor, it might get a bit difficult- "/Not yet/" Light blue shimmers reached out, Jack carefully leaning within reach. This was the moment of truth- Gabe could either push him away or drain his energy or-</p>
<p>Shadows twisted around him, the two dropping to the floor of the cabin as their limbs tangled together, groans echoing in the small room. Flashes of electricity exchanged, miniature bolts of lightning weaving between their bodies. Jack's head shifted against Gabe's, knowing that they were skipping over all of the usual courtship rituals of getting to know each other and finding common interests and-</p>
<p>
  <em>-and they'd taken down an entire transport of ship-dwellers together, saved each other's lives, and now had all the time in the world to do whatever they wanted.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Fuck it.</em>
</p>
<p>The electricity intensified, Jack waiting for the right sequence…and slid one limb across Gabe's flickering form, asking permission. Red spider-webs crackled across the shadows, granting him access, his arm easing up and inside. Jack shuddered as it enveloped him. Tight- tight!</p>
<p>A trembling, twitching limb similarly asked for his own permission, Jack's insides giving a pulsing welcome as Gabe slid inside him as well. The energy between them crackled, rippling between the two forms as a new current formed, the lights flickering above them. Oh- oh that felt-</p>
<p>"Gabe!" The crewmate-speak hissed out of him in a moan, held so so close by their other limbs. Slowly, Jack began to ease further inside, thrusting gently as Gabe sank into him, the two curling into each other until they touched. The resulting inferno of electricity sank into a pleasure Jack had never felt before, forehead pressed to Gabe's as they rocked back and forth on the floor in ecstasy. </p>
<p>"J-Ja-ah-ck-" Gabe's face was lit by the electric blue of Jack's eyes only, both panting as the sucker tips of both arms roiled along their insides. "Nn-ngh- ff- /FUCK!/"</p>
<p>Energy spasmed through them both, mouths connecting on the last pulse that left them both writhing in a mass of trembling limbs. Jack felt the change before he saw it, light blue mixing with Gabe's shadows as red sank into him, the charge fluctuating a time more before finally easing to a more manageable level. </p>
<p>"Mmnn-" Gabe twitched but otherwise relaxed against Jack's similarly prone form. "/Always wondered what that felt like/"</p>
<p>"/Never heard an exclamation in our language before/" Jack finally managed to pry his eyes open, managing a shaky grin. "/Now you've got me wondering what else I might be able to pull from you/" He'd always prided himself on his eloquence- and given how ridiculously clunky his crewmate-speak was, this felt so much better. Perhaps Gabe could teach him to be a bit more eloquent in the other language before reaching the base? </p>
<p>"/We've got time darling/" Purring, Gabe shifted them a bit, gaining some leverage that he use to his advantage, rocking deep inside of Jack's relaxed form. "/First I want to hear you/"</p>
<p>"AH!" The suction rippled once more along his inner organs as the limb moved, Jack's limbs clenching tight around Gabe's. "/Thought courtship ended with mating/ GABE!" Oh, fuck eloquence! </p>
<p>"/Gimme until after Polus/" Gabe murmured, nuzzling against him as Jack began to return the favor, twisting up inside Gabe's form with a sizzle of energy. "Ngh! /Want to mate with you during cycles/" </p>
<p>"/Oh stars yes/" Jack mumbled through pleasure-laden twitches. If they could line up, that meant <em>eggs</em>. It was so rare for a pair to mate AND have time to link up cycles. Stories passed along presented non-great-mother cycles to be both rare and overwhelming with pleasure. "/Hope you know you're getting as many as you give me/"</p>
<p>"/I'd be disappointed if you didn't/" Rocking in a bit faster, Gabe groaned into Jack's neck and pushed in even deeper somehow. "/Mine/" A second limb pressed up next to the first and slid in partially, Jack wailing at the spike in pleasure. "/All mine/"</p>
<p>"Fuck! FUCK!" Jack writhed as the second eased in further, outer suction cups from the exposed part of the limb teasing along his skin and leaving rings of pleasure behind. A different kind of energy built in him, sending him into a spasming pile of goo, his own arm shoving deep into Gabe and flashing so hot it nearly burned him before something released, electrical tingles spreading from the tip of his arm and down towards the entryway.</p>
<p>It must have felt a bit differently for Gabe, who jerked in their shared hold, spasming with a yelp. Then, the same thing happened inside Jack and he realized why his new mate was unable to sit still. It was as if every part of his insides was being stimulated at the same time, even parts that Gabe's arm had been, surprisingly, unable to reach. A high whine keened from Jack's throat, the two of them twitching against each other. Oh…oh…stars, it felt so good.</p>
<p>"/Mine/" Jack echoed once he could find his voice again. The windows in the cockpit glittered with the plains of their home, waves of electric current occasionally pulsing just beyond the reaches of vision. They'd find a way into the base, take it just as they had the ship, and start their own brood. They could teach them the ways of the currents, perhaps even some crewmate-speak to get by? They could be mates…and partners…and parents. "/So glad I found you/"</p>
<p>Gabe chuckled weakly. "/Glad I found you too/" He grinned despite their still-joined bodies. "/Especially since you were the most obvious Imposter I've ever seen/"</p>
<p>"/Jerk/" </p>
<p>"Mm." Settling in next to Jack, arms carefully retracting from inside and instead wrapping around his mate's waist, Gabe pressed a kiss to Jack's forehead. "/Guess what Jack/"</p>
<p>Pulling out but not away, Jack hummed from their remarkably comfortable spots on the floor. "Mm?"</p>
<p>"…Blue sus."</p>
<p>
  <em>Swat!</em>
</p>
<p>"…/I may have deserved that/"</p>
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